


I love you, stupid Emperor

by Otori0



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, Mention of Wataru, They're gay thats all there's to it, also im bad with titles, and its still poorly written i hate this, i even made actual research, i spent literally all day writing this, is not even funny, izuei is my new religion dont @ me, like eichi haha, no beta we die, the new event just sent me, wholesome babies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24152074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otori0/pseuds/Otori0
Summary: Izumi wanted to know. He wanted to open that boy's heart with his own two bare hands and find out what was hiding there. He needed to know when and why Eichi cried; all his worries. He would stay with Eichi until his life completely dried up. However, if in the path Eichi happened to do something like he did before, hurting people and sacrificing himself for the sake of his title as Emperor, then Izumi would stop him, would even punch him or yell at him if needed. Eichi wasn’t an Emperor, he was a boy that was just in a hard position, but he had to understand that it was okay to rely in others; that Izumi would be there to help him.
Relationships: Sena Izumi/Tenshouin Eichi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	I love you, stupid Emperor

**Author's Note:**

> eh this is really bad but listen i love them. might write a continuation

Izumi stood there, speechless. He knew it. He knew it better than anyone else, so why was he so surprised to see it?

That's right; he knew that Eichi had a crush on Wataru, and he also knew that the reason why Eichi asked him to practice slow-dance was to dance with Wataru on stage. However, seeing their hands joining, Eichi's hand in Wataru's hip and Wataru's in Eichi's shoulder as they danced on the stage, was much more painful than expected.

Izumi did agree on teaching Eichi, he even was excited about it deep inside his heart, but was that his fault really? Many people were in love with Eichi, it wasn't weird that Izumi had feelings for him either, but… He could never admit it or confess. And that's why he could never overthrow Wataru nor take his place. Wataru was the only one in Eichi's eyes. 

Even if Izumi were to confess, that would only cause problems to everyone. How would Leo react? He had a complex relationship with Eichi, and learning that Izumi liked him would be probably hard on him. Even if Izumi and Eichi were in good terms now, even friends… it was still difficult to even talk about the past with Leo.

Suddenly, Izumi heard his own name being called and was brought back to reality. Eichi spoke with his usual gentle voice in the distance, next to Wataru and the rest of fine.  
''I want to thank Sena, who helped me a lot in making this live possible.''

Izumi clenched his fists to the point that he could easily start bleeding in any moment. How could Eichi be so cruel to him? It made him so full of rage. 

Even so, he knew that this wasn't Eichi's fault. It was entirely his for falling for someone who was standing so far away. Eichi was out of his reach. Eichi was in a different place, holding another person's hand. Izumi maybe should feel happy that Eichi was smiling. He knew that getting angry was selfish and stupid, but he couldn't really help it.

Izumi left the stage with heavy steps. He couldn't stand being there any longer when even the audience was applauding fine. He didn't know where to go; he just wanted to leave far away, to somewhere where he could be alone with his thoughts. He had always handled jealousy and love fairly well, so why was he feeling like this now? Was Eichi different from his past crushes in any way? 

Ignoring these tumultuous thoughts, Izumi found an empty bench and sat down, looking at the starry sky above. It was beautiful and calm. The complete opposite of how Izumi was feeling.

''Ugh, so annoying…'' He murmured to himself, closing his eyes. Everything was silent, but Eichi's words and fine's song still echoed in his ears.

He opened his eyes again when he heard footsteps approaching him. ''Sena, it's rare to see you here.''  
''Oh great'', Izumi thought, ''it had to be him from all people.''

Eichi smiled warmly. He had changed into his uniform, so Izumi guessed that more time had passed than he thought.  
''Does it really matter where I go to?'' Izumi spoke, rather harshly, since he wasn't very pleased to meet Eichi at the moment. 

Eichi sat besides him, evading the question.  
''Shouldn't you be with everyone in fine, anyway?'' Izumi asked.  
''Mm…'' Eichi stretched his arms forward and tilted his head a little. Fucking adorable. ''I don't think so. They are probably okay on their own. Ah, did you see our live?''

''…I did.'' Izumi muttered, again clenching his fists.  
Eichi stared at him in silence. He seemed to pierce through Izumi's very soul with his gaze, as if he knew exactly what he was thinking. 

They kept silent for what seemed to be an eternity. Then, as usual, Eichi began a monologue talking about how his heart pounded on stage and how much he enjoyed the night singing and dancing with his unit, almost as if he was trying to make Izumi jealous on purpose. It probably wasn't like that, but it was still annoying.

''Ugh, can you cut it out already?'' Izumi mumbled, obviously pissed off. Eichi was surprised by Izumi's bitterness, but since he was also used to it, he soon was back to smiling as if everything was perfectly okay.  
''Why? Are you in a bad mood, perhaps?'' Eichi hesitated. It was infuriating; Eichi had no right to ask such a thing.

''I don't think that there's anyone who enjoys listening to your love experiences.'' Izumi said bluntly, too mentally tired to lie or to ignore Eichi anymore.  
''Hm? I never mentioned anything like that.'' Eichi looked genuinely surprised. Was he just an idiot or was he making a fool of Izumi?

''Everyone knows that you like Hibiki. And it looks like he likes you back.'' Izumi felt like crying. He knew it, his mind knew that he was right, but saying it felt totally different; it was like admitting that he had no opportunities left.

''Huh?'' Eichi almost laughed at him. ''No, that's not it. I admire Wataru, and he's an important person for me, but I couldn't… Even less it being mutual, that's impossible. I'm not someone who could go out with Wataru, and he doesn't like me as a boyfriend either.''

Izumi felt something strange around his chest. He was probably relieved. He was wrong, and he did feel stupid about it, but he was still glad. ''Oh… so you just admire him?''  
Eichi nodded. ''Yes… He's a star for me, something to long for, and I came this far thanks to him, but it's definitely not what you think.''

Izumi covered his mouth with his hand, absurdly happy. To think that he was mistaken all this time…  
''…I see. But it's your fault, you know? You two are always flirting, it makes it look that way.''

Maybe he did have a chance to make Eichi turn his way. He definitely wasn't going to waste it. 

* * * * *

''Hmm~ Hmmm~'' Izumi hummed happily, his hands in his cheeks as he smiled, excited.

The other members of Knights looked at him with curiosity. It was rare to see Izumi like this.  
''Hey Secchan, did something good happen~?'' Ritsu asked, raising his head from under the table.

''Who knows…'' Izumi kept smiling to himself ignoring his friends’ looks.  
''No fair, I wanna know too!'' Leo yelled, punching Izumi lightly in his shoulder.  
''Me too! Did our little Izumi fall in love or something~?'' Arashi questioned him, and Izumi only giggled in response. ''Oh my! Was I actually right?''

''Ehh, you did? Who is it? That guy from Trickstar?'' Ritsu lazily joined Izumi in the table to continue the conversation (or rather, the interrogation) properly.  
''No, it's different with Yuu…'' Sena murmured. ''But I won't tell you who it is.''  
''That's mean…''

Arashi smiled warmly while looking at the boys arguing. ''I'm glad that Izumi found someone who gets him to make such expressions. They must be someone amazing.'' She thought, happy from the bottom of her heart. She wanted everyone in Knights to be very happy, and love was a wonderful thing.

While practicing, while eating, and even sleeping, Izumi ended up thinking about Eichi Tenshouin. How did he end up making him fall for him so hard? Was it even possible? But Izumi didn't care. The only thing in this mind was how to become closer with the blonde haired boy. And he did have a good plan, but he never found the good time to put it into practice.

Then, almost if God had decided to grant his wish, he bumped into Eichi that exact afternoon. As always, Eichi smiled to him, which made Izumi's heart pound faster. ''Hey, Tenshouin…'' He muttered, more nervous than expected. ''I made something for you. You can take it if you want…'' Izumi looked away, embarrassed, as he handed him two handmade gloves with a pretty, blue design.  
''You know, it's getting cold lately and we're in February already, so… since your health is bad, I thought that this could help.''

Eichi took the gloves and his eyes sparkled, excited. ''They're really soft and warm… Thank you, Sena. I'll use them.''  
Izumi grinned. Eichi liked them, and he couldn't be happier about it. ''Of course, I made them after all.''  
''But…'' Eichi spoke while putting the gloves inside his bag. ''I can't just accept them like that. Should I repay you somehow? For example, would you like me to invite you to some tea?''

''Huh?'' Izumi couldn't believe it. Eichi had invited him? ''Eh, that sounds good I guess…''

He had said that without thinking about it too much, but once he was sitting in front of Eichi holding a cup of tea everything felt so… special. Only them, in a beautiful garden, surrounded by flowers.

''How's the taste? Do you like this tea?'' Eichi asked before taking a sip from his cup. His legs crossed and calmed expression were enough to calm Izumi down and ease him a little bit.  
''Yeah, it's fairly good.'' He rarely drank tea, but it truly was good. The warmth would spread over his stomach and relax his shoulders. 

It was a scenery that Eichi probably saw many times before, but for Izumi this was something very special. Just being there, with Eichi, made him the happiest in the world at least for that moment. He felt like an idiot for being so content for something like this, but he didn't really care if he could feel this warmness in exchange.

''I have to confess to him. Not now, but… I have to do it soon. I want to know his feelings, and if he really doesn't like Wataru, I might have a chance.'' Izumi thought. Eichi was pretty popular, so he had to be fast. And that's when an idea popped into his mind. Valentine's day was close, so maybe he could prepare some homemade sweets and confess… It was a good idea, but actually doing it was different. Izumi wasn't used to being honest, and he didn't want to sound like a jerk either… Well, there was still time before the date, so he could prepare beforehand and pull it off.

''Tenshouin.'' Izumi called him, and Eichi looked at him. ''Can we meet again?''

With that, time flowed and the days passed, Valentine's getting closer and closer. Izumi made a proper research on types of sweets and selected the ones that looked better to make different sorts of small sweets. He didn't know Eichi's preferences, so making a bit of each was the best move.

And so, in his kitchen, he started baking a cooking. He wasn't too used to it, but if he followed the recipes it would probably go well. Cooking was kinda annoying and he wouldn't normally do it without a good reason, but when he remembered that this was for Eichi, he would get motivated and put even more effort into it. 

''That should do it.'' He said to himself looking at his finished work. Different types of cakes, biscuits and other small sweets were packed in a blue box. ''I got carried away and made too much… Maybe I can give them to Ou-sama and everyone.'' 

He then realized that it was already past midnight, and that he should go to sleep already or else he would be tired as hell the next day, and he didn't want to end up sleeping anywhere like Ritsu. 

With that, he went to bed and slept better than usual, even though he was dead nervous about his confession. But no matter what the answer was, he still wanted to hear it. He was prepared for the worst, and yet, his heart quietly wished for Eichi to like him back. 

Eichi was the one who asked him to be friends after what happened with Leo. Izumi didn't accept just immediately, but they became friends rather quickly. Before that, when they were classmates, they had exchanged a good couple of words too. And after everything settled, and even after they graduated, they still kept contacting each other. In fact, Eichi was one of the people who was closer to Izumi. Analyzing all of this, Izumi knew that his chances weren't zero. Maybe Eichi liked him back, and that's why he wanted to befriend him? Maybe Izumi would be able to be happy after all? That wasn't his priority, though.

He just wanted Eichi to smile in the end. Eichi, who was fragile like a feather and had a weaker body than the other people he knew. Eichi, who always smiled and never told his worries to anyone. He suffered, but accepted his position as Emperor, and sacrificed everything and anything for victory, because everyone expected him to win. But Eichi never spoke wholeheartedly, no one knew his honest feelings. When talking to him it was impossible to guess if he was lying or not.

Izumi wanted to know. He wanted to open that boy's heart with his own two bare hands and find out what was hiding there. He needed to know when and why Eichi cried; all his worries. He would stay with Eichi until his life completely dried up. However, if in the path Eichi happened to do something like he did before, hurting people and sacrificing himself for the sake of his title as Emperor, then Izumi would stop him, would even punch him or yell at him if needed. Eichi wasn’t an Emperor, he was a boy that was just in a hard position, but he had to understand that it was okay to rely in others; that Izumi would be there to help him.

Izumi would make him understand it.

* * * * *

Finally, Valentine's Day arrived. Izumi woke up quite early, excited for his meeting with Eichi in the afternoon. If everything ended up as he wanted, this would be their first date.

''Ahh, what I'm I getting so excited for…? It's Eichi we're talking about.'' Izumi thought, and reality slowly hit him. ''That's right. Eichi has a difficult personality, and his feelings are probably even messier. It's actually unlikely that he'd like me back.''

That's right. He needed to calm down. If he looked at it in a more realistic way, Eichi didn't actually give him any sign that could make him think that it was mutual. This made his happy feeling fade, but it was probably better for him to not get his hopes too high. Because if not, when Eichi rejected him it would feel devastating. 

He spent the rest of the morning doing basically nothing, although he did select his best clothes for the day and dedicated a good amount of time arranging his looks. He put even more effort than the one he put in his modeling work, which was a whole lot.

The hour of their meeting slowly came, so he left his house and went to their meeting point, a beautiful park with not many people. It was quiet and nice, although it was as cold as expected. Izumi waited, his present inside a small bag, but Eichi didn't make him wait too much. In fact, they were both earlier than the arranged hour. 

''Oh, Sena. I hoped that I'd be earlier than you…'' Eichi said with a small pout.  
''Try again next time.'' Izumi grinned as they started walking side by side.

They didn't have any specific plans. Izumi was so focused on his confession that he didn't really think about the rest. They just walked talking about trivial things, but it was enjoyable nevertheless, and they were both smiling all the time.  
At one moment, Eichi stopped walking and looked at a smoothie store. 

''What's wrong?'' Izumi asked, seeing how Eichi's eyes sparkled while he looked at the store window.  
''I rarely go out like this, and it's really been a long time since the last time I had a smoothie.''  
''Then just go buy one.''

Eichi looked at Izumi and frowned just a little. ''Do you dislike smoothies? You should take this chance to drink one too.''  
''Eh…?'' Izumi looked away, troubled. He didn't really like them so much, but it was hard to refuse. ''Okay, I get it… Sigh, you're such a kid at times…''

Eichi giggled and they entered the shop. ''Sena often spoils his underclassmen, so maybe if I act like one he'll spoil me too~'' He said, earning an annoyed groan from Izumi.  
''Forget what I said, you're just a sly bastard.''  
Eichi quietly laughed again as they ordered their smoothies and left the store with them in hand.

''Fufu~ And yet, you invited this 'sly bastard' out knowing that he's ill… And you even let me buy something like this.'' Eichi kept talking.  
''If you were feeling bad you wouldn't be bothering me right now.'' 

And time went on as they continued talking and laughing, sometimes making silly jokes to piss each other off, sometimes stopping to drink or eat something. It was overall one of the best afternoons for both of them. Eichi wasn't used to this and it was a good change of pace, and Izumi simply enjoyed being with him doing anything.  
However, when dawn started to make its way, Izumi remembered once again that he had to give him the present and confess before the day ended. 

The ambient and setting were perfect. They were surrounded by the evening sky, looking at a small, beautiful pond from an empty street. It was now or never.

''Tenshouin… You know what day is it today, right?'' Izumi said, looking at him. He continued speaking before Eichi could reply. ''Valentine's Day. You can't be so oblivious to think that I asked you to go out with me on this specific date with nothing on mind, I hope.''

Izumi raised his bag and showed him the content; the blue box full of sweets. ''This… I made them for you. I made it sure for it to be varied so don't eat the things you don't like.''

Izumi almost wasn't thinking what he was saying. His words just came on their own and left his mouth, but they sounded pretty smooth so far, so he wasn't going to complain. 

Eichi took the box and stared at it before answering to Izumi. ''Did you make sweets for me? That's very considerate. But did you really need to spend all afternoon with me for this…? I mean, didn't everyone in Knights receive this too?'' He said everything really smugly, not letting his emotions show, and it was driving Izumi mad. 

''That's not it, stupid…!'' He blurted out almost accidentally. ''There's no way that I'd make sweets for everyone in Knights, that's annoying.''

Eichi arched his eyebrow a little in hesitation. ''What does that mean?''

Izumi felt like his heart was boiling. He was extremely nervous, but also wanted Eichi to open his eyes once for all and realize what was going on.

''It means that I like you, you idiot! Why didn't you realize sooner?! When I helped you with your slow-dance practice too, I was… I was really embarrassed like an idiot, but you were probably thinking about Hibiki all the time! Just how oblivious can you be?'' 

Izumi bit his lip right after nearly yelling all of that.

''No, no.'' He thought. ''This isn't how I wanted it to go. Now it's not the time to get angry at him. I wanted to make it romantic and good, why did I screw up now of all times…? I'm done for…''

He felt like he could burst into tears in any moment now. He felt so ashamed and irritated. ''Everyone says that I'm intimidating, and there's no way that Eichi doesn't think so after hearing me saying that.''

That's when Izumi was brought back to reality with the warm feeling of lips connecting with his. He didn't have time to react; suddenly, Eichi was kissing him and wrapping his arms around his back. Eichi Tenshouin was kissing him. His eyes were closed and god, he was so close to Izumi. Their chests were almost touching. Was that ragged heartbeat his or Eichi's? He didn't know anymore. And he didn't care.

When Eichi broke the kiss, Izumi felt almost sad, but there was still this butterfly-like feeling in his chest and belly.  
''Fufu, your face's all red. How cute.'' Eichi said, stroking Izumi's cheek with a lot of care. ''I'm sorry, that probably startled you. But if I didn't do that, you would surely kept making such a sad face, so…''

Izumi felt his face heat up and he looked away shyly. ''W-what… Why did you…?''  
''Isn't it obvious? And yet you told me that I'm oblivious, but aren't you worse?'' Eichi smiled while Izumi still assimilated what happened. ''I like you too, Izumi.''  
''That's… That doesn't make any sense, why…?''

''Then, may I ask, why do you like me?'' Eichi hesitated, stepping back only a little. ''You don't have a specific reason, do you? Well, it's the same for me. To be honest, the slow-dance practice was just an excuse to get closer to you, so the fact that you actually got jealous is rather hilarious.''

''Are you making fun of me?'' Izumi frowned.  
''No, I didn't mean it like that… But come on, does any of it really matter now? We can discuss about it later.''

''Later''. That word somehow felt really special for Izumi in that moment. Eichi actually liked him back. It felt like a dream.

''So… We're going out now?'' Izumi asked just to be sure, finally looking at Eichi in the eyes again.  
''Of course it does. Ahh, I'm really happy right now… I wouldn't mind dying tonight…''  
Izumi lighly elbowed him. ''Don't say things like that.'' 

Eichi giggled and embraced Izumi, which surprised him and made him exclamate ''Hey!'', but he didn't complain in the slightest and just hugged his boyfriend back.

''...I need to make sure to make something for the White Day.'' Eichi thought internally. He was truly content. Maybe he didn't deserve this happiness after all the things he had done, but… just for a bit, he wanted to indulge in it with Izumi. Yes, if he was with Izumi, everything would be perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave a comment i wont even ask for kudos also im @junmakos on twitter


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